


The Angel of Gotham City

by lizardhair



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Gotham rogues - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Not Beta Read, Original Character(s), Short One Shot, killer moth is somehow not super lame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 11:53:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15581382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizardhair/pseuds/lizardhair
Summary: A being believed to be an angel has been spotted flying across the skies of Gotham. Civilians have opinions, while a Rogue sees an opportunity...





	The Angel of Gotham City

“Yeah, I seen it. Well, it’s shadow, anyhow.” The woman took a drag off of her cigarette. “Those wings have gotta be giant. An' I’m telling ya now, that thing is dangerous. A criminal in the makin’.”

 

*

 

“Do I believe this being to be an angel? Absolutely.” The man nodded, solemn. “Yes, an answer to this city’s supplications, sent by our Heavenly Father.”

 

*

 

“Probably just some freak’s science experiment.” The man grinned lecherously before continuing. “Or a sex doll come to life.”

 

*

 

“A new Rogue, maybe? It scares me, whatever it is. Flying overhead like some kinda bird of prey. _Ugh.”_

 

*

 

“I think she’s super pretty! My mommy says I made it up, but I really did see the angel! I found one of her feathers, but daddy said it just fell off a bird. He threw it out ‘cause wild birds are dirty.”

* * *

 

Waylon Jones scratched his scaly head as he turned the TV off. The signal had been as weak as usual--reception wasn’t great when you lived in the sewers--but at least he had managed to tune into the news.

 

“An angel, huh?” Waylon said to himself. “Seems ‘bout as likely as anything else in Gotham.” He laughed. “Wish I could see her for myself, though.” Fishing out an old flip phone from his pants pocket, Waylon used the tip of his right index claw to type in his friend’s number. “Should really just put the guy on speed dial,” Waylon mumbled.

* * *

 

 

Drury Walker had not, in fact, watched the 9 o’clock news, so he was glad to have gotten the story from Killer Croc. He held out a hand, allowing one of the many moths that fluttered around him to alight on his palm. He spoke to it, his voice barely a whisper.

 

“A God-sent angel seems unlikely to me, 5502, but a metahuman...a metahuman is quite probable.” Drury’s faceted eyes glittered in the dim room. “I could use an assistant, you know.” 

 

Moth 5502 flapped its wings, rising once more into the air and rejoining its brothers and sisters. Drury watched the thousands of insects as they danced, his own wings quivering in response to their movements.  _ It would be nice to have another Rogue with proper flight abilities. Firefly relies on his jetpack, and is a damned pyromaniac to boot. Man-Bat’s transformation is unpredictable, his wings weak and unwieldy.  _

 

“But  _ you, _ apparent angel, might be the answer to at least  _ my _ prayers.”

 

* * *

 

Killer Moth flew between Gotham’s skyscrapers, doing his best to ignore the light of the city’s nightlife. Up in the dark sky, he was near-invisible--and nigh-undefeatable. Not even the Bat’s grappling hooks could reach this far.  _ Or so I hope, _ thought Drury.

 

It was difficult to search for a being whose appearance was unfamiliar to him, save for the knowledge that she had wings...and was supposedly beautiful. Drury had no idea of this “angel’s” habits or hiding place, meaning that locating her would be dependent on luck.

 

“And I have never been all that lucky,” said Drury. Nonetheless, regardless of the results of his quest, it was exquisite to be able to stretch his wings and feel the wind blowing through his antennae. He had been lurking landbound in his hideout for far too long, he realized. But so it went when absorbed by an experiment.

 

An abrupt flash of white in the darkness below.

 

_ “Feathers,” _ Killer Moth said, banking to his left and beginning his descent. 

 

* * *

 

Drury stood on the roof of an abandoned office building, a safe distance away from the decrepit wooden water tower in the roof’s center.  _ Sorry lodgings for an angel, _ he laughed to himself.

 

“Miss?” Drury called, his voice raspy. “Are you in there? I have no wish to harm you; I only want to talk.”

 

A faint noise from within the tower. Movement, perhaps?

 

“I believe you and I may have something in--” Drury suddenly became aware of a smell. It was the scent of garbage and rot, heavy in the warm summer night. “--in common,” Drury finished.  _ This may have been a mistake, _ he thought then. The image of rotting bones picked half-clean of meat flickered in his mind’s eye, the sound of tearing flesh echoing wetly. But when the angel emerged from the water tower, Drury’s fear vanished as soon as it had appeared.

 

She appeared very human, this angel. Nothing like Moth or Croc. The only abnormal features were the broad white wings and feathery, coal-grey hair. And the eyes. The angel’s eyes were visible even in the faint lights from the city below, yellow irises locked on the other metahuman.

 

“Greetings,” said Drury. “I am he known as Killer Moth.” He took a small, non-threatening step forwards. “And you must be the angel I’ve been hearing  about.”

 

“I’m not a miss," said the angel. “I’m no angel, either.”

 

Drury flicked an antenna. “Apologies...mister?”

 

A nod. Then a pause. “You’re really...Killer Moth? The Rogue?”

 

“I am indeed,” said Drury. The not-angel looked more relaxed now, though his wings still seemed ready to pop fully open at any moment.

 

“What do you want with me?”

 

“Let us start with your name, hmm?”

 

Yellow eyes darted to the side, then back to Drury. “I’m Giovanni.”

 

_ Giovanni? A large name for such a small creature, _ thought Drury. But out loud he said, “A fine name for a young gentleman. Italian, are you?”

 

“My grandparents were.” A flash of those strange irises. “You really think Giovanni is a good name?”

 

“Yes?” said Drury, caught off-guard by the odd question.  _ Don’t tell me that this boy has an ego the size of Riddler’s, _ he thought.

 

Then Giovanni smiled. It was wry and crooked, but there was genuine happiness, too. “Cool,” was all Giovanni said. He walked over to Drury-- _ past _ Drury, and plopped down on the edge of the roof. “Have a seat,” Giovanni said over his shoulder.

 

Drury hesitated, then shrugged. He sat to the boy’s left, and the two both rearranged their wings as they looked out over Gotham.

 

“It’s nice here,” Giovanni said.

 

Drury couldn’t help but scoff. “Few would have such kind words about this city.”

 

“It’s nicer than where I was. I’m from Bludhaven,” Giovanni said before Drury could ask. “It was all steel mills and fisheries. So much stinking fish...”

 

“What prompted you to leave?”

 

“I...just didn’t belong there. Bludhaven might have been where I grew up, where I lived, but I was never really... _ alive _ while I was in that place.”

 

Though Drury was a poor judge of emotions, the young man he was sitting besides appeared sorrowful, yet angry. Drury sighed inwardly and decided to ignore it in order to keep the conversation moving. “And now you are in Gotham, residing in a water tower full of what I assume is your own garbage and leftovers.”

 

“Yep,” said Giovanni. He turned to face Drury and winked. “But  _ fuck, _ do I ever feel alive.”

 

“...You are a peculiar young lad, Giovanni,” Drury said, feeling something akin to amusement.

 

“They called me that a lot back in Bludhaven,” Giovanni said. “Just in more... _ impolite _ terms.” He got to his feet and yawned, then shot a grin at Drury. “Do you know what else they called me, Killer Moth?”

 

Drury’s mouth formed something that could be considered a smile. “Pray tell, what else did they call you?”

 

Giovanni snapped his white wings open, and Drury could now see that there was a line of ink-black on the very bottom of the secondary feathers, along with an obsidian patch at the tips of the primaries. 

 

“Seagull,” said Giovanni, and he dove off of the roof. He was out of Drury’s view for only a few seconds before shooting, with a great flap of his wings, into the night sky. Drury heard the boy let out a whoop of joy as he flew higher, then shot back down to the roof, a gust of wind heralding his landing.

 

Drury nodded slowly, smile still pulling at his lips. “Gull,” he said. “A shorter alias for a new life, perhaps?”

 

Giovanni laughed, and it was the cry of ocean birds. “If you’re asking me to team up with you and commit crimes, my answer is “hell yes.” I mean, this  _ is _ Gotham, and I  _ am _ one of those  _ scary _ metahumans.”

 

Drury stood and patted Giovanni’s bony shoulder. The young man obviously knew what he was getting into, and was not only willing, but  _ enthusiastic _ . It was strange, but he felt almost proud of the boy.  _ These younger folks are impressive. Evolution at its finest, I suppose, _ Drury thought. To Giovanni, he said,

 

“Come now, I will show you to my laboratory. You are most welcome to take up accomodations there.” Drury paused. A Rogue he may be, but he wanted to make this clear. “However...if you follow me, there will be no going back to your civilian lifestyle.” With that, Drury stepped off the edge of the roof and into the warm air. 

 

Killer Moth caught an updraft and began gliding upwards; a moment later, he heard the sound of feathered wings flapping after him.  _ My luck has finally changed, it should seem, _ he thought.  _ Croc and my dear moths will be overjoyed. _

 

“I like the sound of it,” Giovanni said to the lights of Gotham City as they unfurled beneath him. “Gull.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this all in one day.........
> 
> I liked the idea of a Rogue that gets mistaken as an angel (because Gotham is just Absolutely Hellish) but turns out to only have the wings of a seagull. Hence, Giovanni. He likes to do crimes (please don't do crimes, my sweet boy). Oh, and in case it wasn't clear, Giovanni is trans c: 
> 
> Also, I'm on tumblr as lizard-hair! My blog is 90% DC/Gotham Rogues, so come check it out


End file.
